Headstones donated for homicide victims

If you visited the site where little Hobbs is buried, you would see a little mound of dirt, but that will soon change.

Author:
Renee Murphy

Published:
7:09 AM EDT August 25, 2017

Updated:
7:09 AM EDT August 25, 2017

When families are at their lowest, one Louisville company works to lift them up.

They have been working, quietly, behind the scenes to bring comfort and peace to those who feel like they are left with nothing.

Sitting in his own home -- on his tablet. A 7-year-old boy lost his life when a stray bullet came through his house in May.

There's been an arrest in the case, but the victim's mother still wants one more thing.

“My son's supposed to be on that school bus. Not laying in some dirt and gravel or a casket,” said Dequante Hobbs's mother Micheshia Norment.

If you visited the site where little Hobbs is buried, you would see a little mound of dirt, but that will soon change.

“Kind of leaves me kind of speechless really,” said Cullen McBroom of Muldoon Memorials on East Broadway.

With the help of public donations, McBroom's company will place a headstone at the site.From a few ideas jotted down on paper to a rendering of the headstone, it will be complete with Dequante's favorite Paw Patrol cartoon characters included.

“It seems like every day somebody comes in and something comes up about a violent crime,” said McBroom.

It's not just Dequante that McBroom has helped. He's helped donate headstones for so many victims of violence, the number of crimes leaving him stunned.

“The scary thing about this is I used to be able to tell you a name, there have been so many .....”

One of the victims McBroom helped was Michael Newby's family. Newby was killed by a Louisville Metro Police officer in 2004. He never thought he'd be helping families in this way.

“Never even crossed my mind that this kind of stuff would be going on.”

But McBroom says he's glad he can.

Dequante Hobbs's headstone will go in place next month. If you are interested in helping to donate to families in need of headstones you can call Muldoon’s (502-584-1129) or visit their website (http://www.muldoonmemorials.com/).